Background
A major challenge for the commodities sector is managing a range of risks, from fluctuations in the cost of the commodities themselves, to exchange rate volatility and transportation costs. As one of the world’s leading diversified commodity traders, Trafigura is responsible for sourcing, storing and distributing commodities across 48 countries. The company has adopted Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) targets linked to the sustainable sourcing of materials and a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. Trafigura needed a risk management solution that could enable it to manage its financial exposure while delivering on its ESG objectives.
A derivative that incentivises sustainability
Standard Chartered executed an ESG-linked derivative that brings together conventional risk management with key performance indicators (KPIs) linked to reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the supply chain. The KPIs also extend to the sustainable sourcing of base metals to minimise the impact of mining and extraction on the natural environment.
Both of these KPIs are key elements to Trafigura’s Responsibility framework (https://www.trafigura.com/responsibility/responsibility-framework/).
ESG-linked derivative structure
The transaction is uniquely structured so that Trafigura benefits from a discounted hedge rate if it meets the agreed KPIs, which are independently monitored and reported on regular basis by a leading third-party provider ERM Certification and Verification Services. If the targets are not met, Trafigura will pay a sustainability penalty.
Standard Chartered’s role
Standard Chartered worked closely with the commodities company to solve this challenge. Given our extensive suite of commodity capabilities, we were able to customise a OTC solution that covers Trafigura’s commodity exposures and address its hedging and funding requirements.
The ESG-linked derivative with Trafigura furthers Standard Chartered’s commitment to funding our client partners on their journey to a low-carbon future, with a range of products to meet their needs. ESG derivatives help fund capital towards sustainable investments, manage risks including ESG risks, improve market transparency, price discovery and market efficiency, for contributing towards long term sustainability.


The Workplace Safety and Insurance Board has announced that eligible Schedule 1 employers will receive a significant premium credit in April of 2022 based on what the WSIB has described as a $1.5 billion dollar surplus in the operational fund. Eligible employers will receive a rebate of approximately 30% of 2019 or 2020 premiums (whichever premium amount was higher). Schedule 2 employers (who are primarily in the public sector) are not eligible for the rebate.
Employers will receive the rebate as a credit on their WSIB account and entities that are no longer active are ineligible for rebate. The WSIB has advised that it will consider issuing rebates in the future based on future financial performance and may use different eligibility criteria going forward.
Employers must meet the following criteria to be eligible for the rebate:
have an active account as of January 31, 2022 had premium obligations in either 2019 or 2020 have not been convicted of a Workplace Safety and Insurance Actor an Occupational Health and Safety Actoffence in a proceeding under Part III of the Provincial Offences Act, in 2021 or in 2022 up to and including the date the WSIB issues rebates have not been convicted in more than one such proceeding between 2017 and 2022 up to and including the date the WSIB issues the rebate
Based on the WSIB’s criteria, it is our view that an overwhelming majority of Schedule 1 employers will be eligible for a premium refund. The convictions referenced above relate to more serious matters. Convictions for “Tickets” issued under Part 1 of the
Provincial Offences Act will not result in an employer being denied a rebate.
According to publicly available data from the Ministry of Labour, Skills Development Training, there were 907 “Part 3” convictions under the OHSA in the Ministry’s fiscal year 2017-18 and 922 “Part 3” convictions in the Ministry’s 2016-17 fiscal year. Some of these convictions will likely reflect multiple convictions against the same employer and others will likely relate to individuals.
According to a report issued by the WSIB, there were 40 employers convicted under
Workplace Safety and Insurance Act in 2018, 32 employers were convicted in 2019 and 6 employers were convicted in 2020. The lower 2020 number likely reflects delays in the Courts caused by COVID-19.
These statistics seem to show that it will be a relatively small number of employers denied a rebate. We anticipate that this program may be controversial given that eligibility is denied based on regulatory convictions as opposed to anything to do with employer’s claims history with the WSIB.
However, others may argue that this program reflects the reality that the WSIB operates a “no fault” insurance scheme. A worker is entitled to benefits regardless of who is “responsible” for the accident if the injury occurred in and of the course of employment. Negligence does not form part of the analysis with respect to a worker’s entitlement to benefits.
Unlike WSIB claims, “Part 3” prosecutions require the Crown to prove that the employer breached a regulatory requirement beyond a reasonable doubt. In most prosecutions, an employer will be acquitted if it can prove that it took all precautions reasonable in the circumstances to prevent the prosecution. Therefore, where it has been proven in Court that an employer has breached workplace safety or workers’ compensation laws, the employer will be denied a significant premium rebate on top of the fines they have already paid.
If this type of practice continues, it represents an additional “administrative penalty” for employers who are convicted of workplace safety offences. For many larger employers, the penalty of being denied a rebate could be higher than the fine imposed by a Court. If rebates continue to be calculated utilizing these same criteria, some employers facing charges will need to consider this issue when determining whether to proceed to trial.
For more information,
please contact:
Ryan J. Conlin at rconlin@stringerllp.com or 416-862-1687
Jeremy Schwartz at jschwartz@stringerllp.com or 416-862-7011


The Trust supports projects and initiatives that promote community wellbeing and sustainable economic development in Tairāwhiti.
We use our wellbeing framework, He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora, as a guiding set of outcomes for all funding decisions. Applications need to consider the fundamental principles of equity, sustainability and integrity. These are represented in the waharoa (gateway) of He Rangitapu He Tohu Ora.
Applications should also demonstrate how it aligns with Te aka rautaki ki te tau 2026, the Trust's strategic plan.
Our funding application will prompt you to describe how these principals apply to your project. Beyond the waharoa, the next stage of the framework is Ngā Muka – wellbeing outcomes. The six muka are complementary and when woven together, complete the holistic vision the people of Tairāwhiti have for wellbeing.


Bruno Mendes
*, Alexandra Mineiro and João Cardoso
Santa Marta Hospital - CHULC - Central Lisbon University Hospital Center, PortugalFulltext PDF
Malignant Pleural Effusion (MPE) is a sign of advance disease in patients with cancer. The management of these patients could present as a challenge. It is crucial to identify patients with poor prognosis and offer them alternatives to pleurodesis (a discomfort procedure that may lead to hospitalization). Although several studies have been conducted to access the accuracy of pH as prognostic factor in MPE, its use is not validated by international guidelines. A retrospective analysis of the electronic medical records of all patients with MPE that underwent first thoracentesis in our department between June 2016 and June 2018 was done. The primary endpoint was to access the relation between pH of MPE and survival. 62 patients were included in this study. PH mean was 7.32. Median survival in months for Group A, defined as pH less than the mean, was 1.9 months [1.3-4.9] and for Group B, defined as pH equal or superior to the mean was 4.3 [2.5-13] (p=0.006). We found an existence relation between pH inferior to 7.32 and lower median survival. The association between low pH and survival could be explained as tumors in advanced stage of disease may provoke the accumulation of end products of glycolysis in the pleural space.
Mendes B, Mineiro A, Cardoso J. Malignant Pleural Effusion: The mportance of pH as Prognostic Marker. A 2-Year Review. Clin Oncol. 2022;7:1949..


Assessing how pension schemes can best manage their inflation risks during a period of uncertainty created by the monetary and fiscal stimulus unleashed alongside the development of COVID-19 vaccines.
Against this background, there are increasing concerns over the prospect of a material increase in inflation. We will discuss whether these concerns are overplayed and how pension schemes can effectively manage inflation risks against the backdrop of what remains a hugely uncertain environment.
The session will focus on:
Guest speaker TBC
Simon Mungall, Head of Fixed Income Research (Buck)
Carl Hitchman, Principal and Chief Investment Officer (Buck)


Cladobranchia is a clade of charismatic and exclusively marine slugs (Gastropoda: Nudibranchia). Though Cladobranchia and its sister taxon, Anthobranchia, have been supported by molecular data, little resolution among the higher-level groups within these two clades has emerged from previous analyses. Cladobranchia is traditionally divided into three taxa (Dendronotida, Euarminida, and Aeolidida), none of which have been supported by molecular phylogenetic studies. Reconstructions of the evolutionary relationships within Cladobranchia have resulted in poorly supported phylogenies, rife with polytomies and non-monophyletic groups contradicting previous taxonomic hypotheses. In this study, we present a working hypothesis for the evolutionary history of Cladobranchia, utilizing publicly available data that have been generated since the last attempt at a detailed phylogeny for this group (we include approximately 200 more taxa and a total of five genes). Our results resolve Cladobranchia as monophyletic and provide support for a small proportion of genera and families, but it is clear that the presently available data are insufficient to provide a robust and well-resolved phylogeny of these taxa as a whole.


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Bombay:India’s IT services leaders are expected to release strong figures in the seasonally weak third quarter ended December 31 due to strong customer demand.
IT leader Tata Consultancy Service (TCS) is expected to show traction on major contracts won in the quarter, analysts say, while
should revise upwards its forecasts for the year. is expected to demonstrate gains in its product business over the period October-December.
The strong outlook would come from digital transformation and cloud computing initiatives during the quarter, analysts said.
The fact that three leaders in IT services report their quarterly results on January 12 is also an indicator of their confident performance for the quarter. Level II companies are expected to outperform Level I IT majors, they added.
Despite companies highlighting the normal impact of time off, Tier I IT revenue growth is expected to be strong, with Infosys leading revenue growth at around 4.8% QoQ (quarter over quarter) at constant exchange rates, âbrokerage firm Motilal Oswal said in a note. âHCL Technologies will benefit from the seasonality of P&P (products and platforms) growing by around 4.5% QoQ (CC), followed by
, and TCS.
Tier I providers are expected to generate profit growth of around 11% year-over-year (YoY) and 6% QoQ, according to the brokerage.
TCS and Infosys are expected to post profit growth of 17% and 13% year-on-year, respectively.
HCL Technologies is expected to post a slight decline in profits, while Wipro is expected to post stable growth, he said.
Analysts also expect companies to report some stability in attrition numbers after a few quarters of high attrition, even as the industry expects talent supply constraints to continue. until the first quarter of the next fiscal year. However, with many new entrants to the companies during the third quarter, some stability is expected.
âThe margin during the quarter is expected to remain stable on a sequential basis. However, there will be a decline in the year-over-year margin as companies have implemented two rounds of wage hikes since December 2020 to counter attrition, ânoted HDFC Securities. âThe main remaining margin hurdles are the higher cost of talent replacement, lower fill rates due to newer hires, and increased discretionary costs. ”
Demand environment remains broad, driven by strong traction for digital, cloud, data analytics, 5G, IoT, cybersecurity and AI, and analysts expect comments on how recent deals are shaping up for businesses.
Despite a lower Total Contract Value (TCV) and more small and medium-sized transactions, India’s relative share of Tier I has improved, Elara Capital said.
Emkay Global Financial Services expects healthy revenue growth momentum to continue in the quarter based on a widespread secular demand environment, with revenue growth of 1.9-3.3% QoQ (2.7 to 4.0% CC) for Level I IT service companies.
The best performance order is expected to be Infosys, TCS, HCL Tech, and Tech Mahindra among the Tier I names. that the companies in our coverage universe experience steady sequential revenue growth based on secular trends in widespread demand, good deals and active mergers and acquisitions. activities, âaccording to a memo from Emkay Global.


A significant proportion of hospitalized patients with influenza develop complications of acute respiratory distress syndrome, driven by virus-induced cytopathic effects as well as exaggerated host immune response. Reporting in The American Journal of Pathology, investigators have found that treatment with an immune receptor blocker in combination with an antiviral agent markedly improves survival of mice infected with lethal influenza and reduces lung pathology in swine-influenza-infected piglets. Their research also provides insights into the optimal timing of treatment to prevent acute lung injury.
Previously, the investigators found that an excessive influx of neutrophils, infection fighting immune cells, and the networks they create to kill pathogens, known as neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), contribute to acute lung injury in influenza infection. Formation of NETs by activated neutrophils occurs via a cell death mechanism called NETosis and the released NETs contain chromatin fibers that harbor toxic components.
A mouse model, commonly used in exploring influenza pathophysiology and drug therapies, was used in the current study. Because mice are not natural hosts for influenza, further validation in larger animals is necessary before testing in humans. Therefore, researchers also tested piglets infected with swine influenza virus. The animals were treated with a combination of a CXCR2 antagonist, SCH527123, together with an antiviral agent, oseltamivir.
The combination of SCH527123 and oseltamivir significantly improved survival in mice compared to either of the drugs administered alone. The combination therapy also reduced pulmonary pathology in piglets.
“Combination therapy reduces lung inflammation, alveolitis, and vascular pathology, indicating that aberrant neutrophil activation and release in NETs exacerbate pulmonary pathology in severe influenza,” explains lead investigator Narasaraju Teluguakula, Ph.D., Center for Veterinary Health Sciences, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA. “These findings support the evidence that antagonizing CXCR2 may alleviate lung pathology and may have significant synergistic effects with antiviral treatment to reduce influenza-associated morbidity and mortality.”
It can be challenging to balance the suppression of excessive neutrophil influx without compromising the beneficial host immunity conferred by neutrophils. Therefore, the researchers examined the temporal dynamics of NETs release in correlation with pathological changes during the course of infection in mice. During the early inflammatory phase, three to five days post infection, significant neutrophil activation and NETs release with relatively few hemorrhagic lesions was observed. In the late hemorrhagic exudative phase, significant vascular injury with declining neutrophil activity was seen.
Dr. Teluguakula also emphasizes that these findings provide the first evidence to support the strategy of testing combination therapy in a large animal influenza model. “In view of the close similarities in pulmonary pathology and immune responses between swine and humans, pig-influenza pneumonia models can serve as a common platform in understanding pathophysiology and host-directed drug therapies in human influenza infections and may be useful in advancing the translational impact of drug treatment studies in human influenza infections.”


We so often focus on our differences. And sometimes, that’s a good thing. We can acknowledge, respect, and admire our differences. It’s unwise to ignore them. We dismiss others when we minimize or reject others’ experiences. We can learn so much from others. We learn a lot about ourselves, both in the context of a broader perspective and as a truth check of our character. How we approach, interact, and respond matters.
It’s also unwise to misuse the recognition of our differences. We might focus so much on the differences that we forget the ways in which we can relate. We hurt. We believe. We celebrate. We mourn. We lose. We connect. We learn. We doubt.
So, when that coworker frustrates you, consider what concerns you might have in common.
When the shoppers or cashiers at the store seem grumpy or impatient, consider what they might have happening in their lives.
When you spend time with family and get frustrated with someone’s expectations or insensitivities, consider how you can shift just slightly enough to interact with more grace, patience, courage, and wisdom.
We can relate…when we’re willing.


Power monitoring system is a network of meters connected to the Internet through communication networks to provide real-time and historical data to energy consumers. Energy consumers can be manufacturing and process industries, datacenters, and public infrastructure, among others.
The power monitoring market is very competitive with the presence of many global players. This segment highlights the key growth strategies adopted by them in recent years. Market players adopted various strategies to expand their regional presence and increase their market shares. New product launches and contracts & agreements were the most popular strategies adopted by them to achieve growth in the power monitoring market.
Vendors who fall into this category receive high scores for most evaluation criteria. They have a strong and established product portfolio, strong market presence, and strong business strategies.
They are established vendors with very strong business strategies such as mergers & acquisitions. However, they lack in a focused product portfolio. They focus on strategies to expand their business for their specific products.
Innovators are vendors that have demonstrated substantial product innovations as compared to their competitors. They have very focused product portfolio. However, they have a moderate growth strategy for their business in this market.
They are vendors with niche product offerings and are starting to gain traction in the market. They do not have strong business strategies when compared to other established vendors. They might be new entrants in the market and may require some time before gaining a significant position in the market. The power monitoring market has been segmented on the basis of end-user (manufacturing and process industry, datacenters, public Infrastructure, utilities and renewables, and electric vehicle charging stations). Major manufacturing and process industries that deploy power monitoring include cement, pharmaceutical, semiconductors, metals & mining, water & wastewater, automotive, oil & gas, and food and beverages, among others. Manufacturing and process industry is the largest end user for power monitoring market. The demand for power monitoring in the manufacturing and process segment is driven by the factors such as energy efficiency, power surges, and uninterrupted power supply. Any power surge or power outage can affect the critical function of the industry and can have severe economic implications. The datacenters segment is the fastest growing end-user segment in the power monitoring market. A datacenter consumes a large amount of energy for its functioning. Any loss of power can result in data loss and huge monetary loss. Moreover, datacenters are dynamic as they are driven by new technologies in the IT field and constantly changing requirements. The 24*7 uptime of a datacenter would require the entire system to work with reliable power supply. So, power monitoring systems are used in datacenters for the optimization of power utilization and reliable power supply. The datacenters segment is expected to grow at a significant rate in Japan, Singapore, China, South Korea, Australia, the U.S., and Canada. The increasing investments in IT hubs in these countries coupled with growth in datacenters would drive the demand for power monitoring systems. With the increasing number of datacenters in North America and Asia-Pacific, the power monitoring market is expected to grow at the highest CAGR in these regions during the forecast period. Power monitoring finds its application in utilities in areas such as tenant metering, revenue metering, substations, and power distribution sectors. Power monitoring systems are used by utilities to track and investigate frequency stability, voltage variation, and harmonics. They help utilities in resolving power issues on a real-time basis and to analyze the power quality. With the growing investments in transmission and distribution, the use of technologies such as smart metering, advanced metering infrastructure, and micro grids by utilities has also increased. These investments would provide significant opportunities to players in the power monitoring market.


Panda Remit provides cross-border remittance globally for its international user base, processing over one billion dollars a month across a network of partner banks. With a digital-first focus, it helps customers speed up the money transfer to beneficiaries to two minutes, while keeping fees as much as ten times lower than traditional remittance services.
Searching for a partner with scale and experience
With customer-centricity at its core, Panda Remit continually seeks new ways to improve its service. In 2020, the team recognized that its inability to accept card payments from its customers was a significant gap in its offering. At that point, Panda Remit only offered bank transfers as a payment option to customers. This was cumbersome for customers, with lengthy processing and payment failure impacting customer satisfaction — and ultimately forcing them to use other services.
This led the Panda Remit team to explore onboarding a new payments provider that could enable them to accept card payments from customers. After a thorough evaluation of the market, Panda Remit selected Checkout.com as its new partner.
"There are a limited number of acquiring payment service providers who could both support money remittance services and were scalable enough to meet our global ambitions," says Ken Zheng, Founder, and CEO, Panda Remit. "Checkout.com has the global scale and expertise to meet our requirements."
As a result of this partnership, Panda Remit customers can now make VISA and Mastercard payments, receiving near-instant fund acceptance times resulting in a vastly improved user experience.
Expert support from local teams
With the majority of the Panda Remit team based in China, the language barrier was a significant concern for the team when it came to working with partners outside of China. However, this wasn't a concern when working with Checkout.com because of its expert team based locally.
The local support proved valuable from day one, with Panda Remit easily integrating Checkout.com into their technology stack. Checkout.com provided a dedicated onboarding team to guide them throughout the entire process and were on hand to answer technical queries.
Panda Remit was also assigned a dedicated customer success manager (CSM). They've embedded themselves into Panda Remits business, providing highly personalized and timely support at all times. This includes ensuring Panda Remit's payments processes are optimized, compliant with any upcoming regulatory changes and ready to support whatever move the business makes.
For example, when Panda Remit looked to improve security and reduce fraud, the Checkout.com team recommended leveraging 3D Secure protocols. Anticipating a potential rise in payment failure post-implementation, Checkout.com supported to minimize the impact and ensure any issues were solved quickly.
This test was split into two parts. The first centered around a quarterly business review, providing Panda Remit with clear data insights to assist decision-making. The second focused on providing suggestions on how conversion rate can be improved from a user journey standpoint. By taking this approach to the implementation of 3D Secure, they’ve successfully improved security and doubled its acceptance rate.
Expanding internationally
Panda Remit has big ambitions. And its sights are firmly set on expanding its presence in North America and making remittance quicker and cheaper than ever before. Checkout.com is the partner they know will help them achieve this goal. Work is already underway to extend its acquiring services and provide customers with an instant funds-in experience.
"When we enter a new market, the value of the Checkout.com team shines in terms of their expertise. They can recommend the optimal setup path based on considerations like cost structures, dealing with chargebacks, and so on," concludes Ken.


Get the most out of your Corsa-e by knowing the main impacting factors on range and how to react on them.
Speed
Speed is the most impactful factor on range. At e.g. a constant speed of 130 km/h the range of your Corsa-e is halved as compared to WLTP.
Driving style
Every time you accelerate, you lose energy. And everytime you brake harsh, you need to accelerate again. The eco-driving mode and recuperative braking of your Corsa-e can help you to save up to 15% of your range!
Thermal comfort & heating
Range difference due to heating can vary up to 35% between seasons, as the energy is directly taken from the battery. Pre-Conditioning your Corsa-e while charging is a great way to preserve your range and travel in comfort.
TIP: The displayed range in your Corsa-e, even when fully charged, is a prediction based on former driving behaviour. If you take the range impacting factors (e.g. speed, driving style, thermal comfort) into consideration, the displayed range will adapt to your new driving behaviour.


Title:
The contributions of Interactive Dynamic Mathematics software in probing understanding of mathematical concepts : case study on the use GeoGebra in learning the concept of modulus functions
This study explored how dynamic mathematics software package called GeoGebra, contributed to participants' learning and understanding of mathematics. The research focused on participants' experiences as they used and transformed GeoGebra to support their understanding of modulus functions. It highlighted participants' perspective on the role of GeoGebra in supporting exploration of modulus functions in particular and mathematical ideas in general. The focus of the study was on how participants utilised GeoGebra to address misconceptions and perceptions of modulus functions. The main research questions that guided this study focused on how students used GeoGebra to support their understanding of modulus functions and how GeoGebra related and contributed to their whole learning experiences. The study found that GeoGebra provided a medium for visualisation that linked the abstract aspects of modulus functions with graphical illustrations. The study also noted that working with GeoGebra extended participants' understanding of modulus functions i.e. (a) in distinguishing the difference between the graphs of y = |f(x)| and y = f(|x|) and being able to sketch the two graphs without the aid of GeoGebra; (b) challenging why the integral of 1/x is y = ln |x| + c instead of y = ln(x) + c since the derivative of f(x) = ln(x) is 1/x; (c) recognising that not all turning points are stationary; (d) recognising the importance of graphical illustrations when solving equations and inequalities that involve modulus functions, to eliminate spurious answers derived from some algebraic calculations.


The roles of the broker and the wholesale lender
April 27th, 2010
April 27th, 2010
Many people think that if you have a lender, you don't need a broker. There are 2 very distinct roles each serves you, the consumer.
The wholesale lender underwrites and funds the home loan, may service the loan payments, and ensure the loans' compliance with underwriting guidelines. The broker, on the other hand, originates the loan. A detailed application process, financial and credit worthiness investigation, and extensive disclosure requirements must be completed in order for a wholesale lender to evaluate a consumer's home loan request. The broker simplifies this process for the borrower and the wholesale lender, by conducting this research, counseling consumers on their loan package choices, and enabling them to select the right loan for their home buying needs.
The mortgage loan process can be arduous, costly, and seemingly impossible to the consumer. The broker works as the liaison between the borrower and the lender to create a cost effective and efficient loan process. A process that will run like a well-oiled machine.
We provide our clients with exceptional service and integrity which has become our hallmark.


Abstract
The rapid warming of the West Antarctic Peninsula region has led to reduced sea ice cover and enhanced glacial melt water input. This has potential implications for marine ecosystems, notably phytoplankton growth, biomass and composition. Earlier studies suggested declining phytoplankton biomass related to reduced winter sea ice cover. In the present study we aimed to link summer and winter phytoplankton performance to the observed decline. Fifteen years (1997-2012) of year-round size fractionated chlorophyll a (chl a), environmental data, and 7 years of phytoplankton pigment fingerprinting were analyzed at the RaTS monitoring site in northern Marguerite Bay, Antarctica. Winter phytoplankton biomass was low (< 0.25 μg chlorophyll a l-1) and consisted on average of 69% diatoms, 5% cryptophytes, and 20% haptophytes. Summers following winters with low (< 65 days) sea ice cover were characterized by decreased stratification strength and relatively low (median < 4.4 μg chlorophyll a l-1) phytoplankton biomass, as compared to summers preceded by high winter sea ice cover. In addition, the summertime microphytoplankton (> 20 µm) fraction was strongly decreased in low biomass years, from 92% to 39%, coinciding with a smaller diatom fraction in favor of nanophytoplankton (< 20 µm), represented by cryptophytes and haptophytes. In contrast, diatoms dominated (> 95%) summers with average-to-high biomass. We advance a conceptual model whereby low winter sea ice cover leads to low phytoplankton biomass and enhanced proportions of nanophytoplankton, when this coincides with reduced stratification during summer. Over the observational period, the onset of spring ice melt, as indicated by a salinity decrease, was delayed 100 days when comparing high and low biomass summers. Thus, increased mixing during the winter combined with a decrease in sea ice will delay stratification further and, as such, decrease total summer phytoplankton productivity. Overall, both summer (January – February) and winter biomass declined significantly, 2.88 and 0.023 µg Chlorophyll a l-1 decade-1 respectively. These changes are likely to have a strong effect on the marine food web, including krill biomass and distribution. Given the current trends in climate change, our observed trends are not likely to be reverted within the near future.
Original language English Pages 428 Number of pages 1 Publication status Published - 26-Aug-2016 Event SCAR 2016: Antarctica in the global earth system: From the poles to the tropics - Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Duration: 22-Aug-2016 → 27-Aug-2016
http://scar2016.com/
Conference
Conference SCAR 2016 Country/Territory Malaysia City Kuala Lumpur Period 22/08/2016 → 27/08/2016 Internet address


Once in a rare while, unexpected events leave a major impact on society such as the current COVID-19 pandemic, necessitating additional urgency to create, innovate and be more efficient. That is true for established enterprises and emerging ones alike.
ReSurfX is an ‘outcomes intelligence’ company focused on improving innovation, outcomes, and ROI of enterprises from data-intensive activities, with primary focus on healthcare (Pharma, Biotech and patient care). ReSurfX provides value through significant improvements in accuracy, robustness, novel insights, and advance prediction of outcome directions by leveraging a data-source agnostic novel machine learning (ML) approach we invented – Adaptive Hypersurface Technology (AHT). ReSurfX::vysen is an enterprise software product that delivers these functionalities.
Here we demonstrate the predictive power of AHT based functionalities through an extremely powerful SyRTOP configuration of ReSurfX::vysen product and outline several applications. The rare form of validations provided here are in the form of FDA actions based on Real World Evidence and Post Market Surveillance that are difficult to achieve even with expensive targeted studies.


Although the mega option is similar to the backdoor Roth IRA, they’re two distinct accounts. Even though they’re both designed for high-income earners to convert a traditional IRA fund to a Roth, they do things differently.
The backdoor option was designed for high-income earners to make a regular Roth contribution using tax-deferred earnings. In contrast, the mega backdoor Roth IRA was designed for after-tax contributions to a 401(k) to convert to a Roth IRA.
An individual retirement account (IRA) is a savings and investment account with tax advantages. A traditional IRA uses pre-taxed dollars, while a Roth IRA uses after-tax dollars. As a result, they both have tax savings, either now or later.
IRAs are used to purchase stocks, bonds, mutual funds, target-date funds, exchange-traded funds, and more. Employer-sponsored plans may have limited choices. However, many offer employer-matching contributions.


COVID-19 has upended reproductive care access, particularly for those needing to cross a border.Reportage Border Crossings
Living in a pandemic has upended most of what we used to call “normal life.” Countries are in lockdown, economic activities are paused, and social life is now through computer screens. Through it all, politicians, decision-makers and health specialists have made a distinction between what is considered “essential” and what is deemed “non-essential” or “elective.” However, what we consider to be one or the other is rooted in ideology and not without impacts. Such is the case with accessing reproductive healthcare in the United States.
Ideology, Necessity, and Reproductive Health
Accessing reproductive healthcare in the United States has been a matter of geographical position for years. Prior to Roe v. Wade, the landmark US Supreme Court decision in 1973, states had varying laws. While in some a woman could choose to terminate a pregnancy, in others, the choice was nonexistent. Through its decision, the Supreme Court aimed at securing the right to choose for all women on U.S. soil. However, the Court segmented the pregnancy into three trimesters – each with specific limits on state power – allowing states to outlaw abortion during the third trimester.
While subsequent Court decisions (Webster v. Reproductive Health Services, 1989; Casey v. Planned Parenthood, 1992) bid farewell to the trimester division, they maintain – and even enlarged – states’ abilities to curb or protect access to abortion within their territorial limits. Since then, states slowly but surely enacted laws in line with their ideological affiliations: from a right for all, abortion has become a right wherein its effectiveness depends on where one stands.
This situation is problematic in general. But COVID-19 has shed light on the underlying ideological divide that prompts restrictions in red states and protections in blue states when it comes to reproductive care access. As states realized the scope of risks associated with the pandemic, they mandated that all non-necessary surgical interventions be put on hold in order to free beds and healthcare workers, and save much-needed medical equipment. While for pro-choice individuals, politicians, and decision-makers, abortion access is deemed a necessary intervention, a group of conservative states explicitly banned all abortions on their territory, counting them as non-necessary.
This raises the question of what states consider to be essential and necessary versus what is non-essential and unnecessary. In conservative states, where local policy agendas aimed at curbing access altogether, terminating a pregnancy is never considered necessary – unless a mother’s life is in danger, and even then some will say it is still a sin. However, abortion is not elective in the sense that it can’t be pushed back indefinitely – there is a time constraint that must be taken into consideration.
In the last 50 years since Roe v. Wade, interior borders have been created between states that protect abortion access or curb it. In a pandemic, these policy barriers are even more critical. Barriers to access will push – and have been pushing – women to seek care outside their state of residency because, as stated, the time constraint is real and matters. Forcing women to travel long distances, while increasing the probabilities of being in contact with the virus (not at the clinic, but rather at gas stations and other necessary stops) while most roadside amenities are closed only adds to their vulnerability.
Cross-border Care
While these impacts are critical for women living in the United States, they are not limited solely to those with a U.S. address. Reproductive health clinics in states bordering Mexico and Canada are used to serving women from the other side of the border. At the U.S.-Mexico border, clinics serve women coming from Mexico, where only three Mexican states – Mexico DF and two southern states – allow women to terminate a pregnancy within the first 12 weeks. At the Canada-U.S. border, specialized hospitals allow women needing to terminate a pregnancy for medical reasons to receive care that is currently unavailable in their province of residence.
Furthermore, some women decide to travel at their own expense to access care either due to proximity to clinics on the other side of the border, or because they are too far along to access it in their province of residence – as some border states allow termination during the second trimester. However, on March 18, 2020, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the countries' shared border would be close to non-essential travel as of midnight on March 21. And on March 20, the same announcement was made by Trump and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador regarding the U.S.-Mexico border. Those announcements left women stranded: what definition of “essential travel” is applied to them?
Currently, patients seeking healthcare on the border between Canada and the United States are deemed to be engaging in “essential” travel. Women are encouraged to bring a letter from a doctor stating they are traveling for medical reasons, but, as highlighted by the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, they may not be granted access to the United States. At the U.S.-Mexico border, the situation is even more complicated as many women were hesitant to disclose the reason for their travels, even prior to the current pandemic, due to a difficult cultural acceptance of abortion.
*****
The risks associated with the current pandemic are not to be taken lightly. However, some reproductive healthcare is time-sensitive and can’t be considered elective as other surgical interventions may. From the border zones to the interior borders between states, how state and federal governments respond to the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the options available for pregnant Americans, Canadians, and Mexicans seeking care.
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The mathematician Norman Fenton is Professor of Risk and Information Management in the School of Electronic Engineering and Computer Science at Queen Mary University of London. He has extensive experience in critical decision-making and, in particular, on quantifying uncertainty using causal, probabilistic models that combine data and knowledge. His areas of work cover health, law and forensics, security, reliability, and transport safety.
In a vital interview with Brian Gerrish and Debi Evans of UK Column, Professor Fenton expresses his concerns regarding the skewing of Covid-19 vaccine data by both the Government and other agencies, with such cogency that official claims are revealed as false or misleading.
In addition, he highlights the blatant censorship now imposed upon professionals who attempt to speak out about their concerns regarding the official Covid-19 vaccination data and policies. Professor Fenton is particularly outspoken about the misleading nature of the recent BBC documentary,
Unvaccinated.
This interview provides essential analysis and critique for every thinking adult in the UK, whether they have had their lives impacted by Covid-19 and vaccination policy or have remained unaffected by the declared pandemic but are suspicious of government and health officials' claims.


The Definition of a Museum
The definition of a museum is a permanent institution, open to the public, that collects, conserves, and exhibits collections of cultural and scientific significance. A museum is an institution that preserves and interprets the past for the benefit of the public. The goal of a museum is to serve humanity by providing information, education, and enjoyment. A well-organized museum is a vital resource for the community. The following article will provide an overview of the basic functions of a modern museum.
The word museum originates from the nine classical Greek muses. The famed “Museion” in ancient Alexandria, Egypt, was a university, not a display of objects. Today, scholars place the first museum in the 17th or 18th century Europe. While the ancient Romans had public squares to display statues, medieval churches used treasuries to preserve sacred objects. In Japan, traditional shrines hung small paintings in hopes of attracting good luck.
The current definition of a museum was agreed in 2007, and is defined as a non-profit, permanent institution that collects and communicates the intangible and tangible heritage of humanity. An alternative definition, proposed in 2008, claimed that a museum should also serve as a critical dialogue space that protects and advances human rights. Some societies are more equal than others, and some promote overt discrimination and inequality in their communities. The definition of a museum has changed over the years, so the process should be more transparent.
The current definition of a museum is a consensus among experts, and was agreed upon in 2007. The term’museum’ is now a legally defined term and an organization that collects and displays the heritage of humanity. However, an alternative definition claimed museums were inclusive, promoting critical dialogue, and guaranteeing equal rights for all members of society. The new definition, however, does not reflect these values. It is a more limited and flexible approach to defining a museum.
A museum is a public institution that holds collections of objects and artifacts for research purposes. In some cases, a museum is a research center that offers educational resources, but a museum is not always a laboratory for scientific research. By contrast, a library is a collection that does not require a specific type of knowledge. A museum is a public space that provides a public service. It is a place where people can learn about the history of a culture, find information about current events, and enjoy the company of friends.
A museum is a building that holds permanent value objects. There are many types of museums, including open-air museums and ecomuseums. These types of museums are characterized by their mission to preserve and interpret material. A traditional museum is a structure. A virtual museum is a museum’s digital equivalent. It provides users with the same information and benefits as a physical museum. So, the definition of a museum is not limited to buildings.


This year's theme for Biodiversity Day, we are part of the solution, recognises the important role that Indigenous peoples and local communities play in protecting and enhancing the world's biological…
The term ‘nature-based solutions’ is both widely used and controversial. It remains ill-defined, despite some high-profile efforts to clarify it, and some of its most enthusiastic supporters include industries and…
Today, the International Indigenous Forum on Biodiversity, the Indigenous Women’s Biodiversity Network, the Centres of Distinction on Indigenous and Local Knowledge, Forest Peoples Programme and the Secretariat of the Convention…
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The desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae) is a destructive pest when gregarious but harmless in solitary form. Reports demonstrate the involvement of aggregation pheromones in mediating behavior of the desert locust in the gregarious phase. Phenylacetonitrile (PAN), the major component of the adult aggregation pheromone, can act as an adult aggregant for both sexes and as a male homosexual avoidance pheromone. However, the origin of PAN and its biosynthesis pathway are not well understood. In the present study, chemical and molecular approaches were employed to elucidate the site of production and biosynthesis pathway of PAN. In a previous study, wings and legs of mature gregarious adult desert locusts were shown to emit notable amount of PAN. However, the present study revealed that PAN is widely distributed in body parts of both sexes in varying amounts. This is the first study that detects noticeable amounts of PAN in the body parts of female and suggests that the pheromone is present in both sexes but that the release of this pheromone is restricted to sexually mature adult males. Also, there were significant differences in PAN released by sexually mature gregarious males at various time intervals during photophase (day) and scotophase (night). More PAN was emitted during the photophase than scotophase and there was a positive correlation of PAN emitted with temperature. Sexual receptivity of both sexes in relation to PAN production was determined. These results suggest that both sexes of gregarious desert locusts are involved in mate finding, which may be influenced by sight, age and levels of PAN released by both sexes of adults. Subsequently, forward and reverse subtracted cDNA libraries were created using the suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) technique. The potential genes encode energy metabolism genes and represent the up-regulated genes that could be responsible for triggering aggregation behavior. Relative expression revealed that the genes were up- and down-regulated in gregarious and solitary phenotypes, indicating that there is a molecular mechanism that switches on and off during phase change and PAN production.


A copy of this work was available on the public web and has been preserved in the Wayback Machine. The capture dates from 2020; you can also visit the original URL.The file type is
application/pdf.
[article] 2020 arXiv pre-print
Supply chains need to balance competing objectives; in addition to efficiency they need to be resilient to adversarial and environmental interference, and robust to uncertainties in long term demand. Significant research has been conducted designing efficient supply chains, and recent research has focused on resilient supply chain design. However, the integration of resilient and robust supply chain design is less well studied. This paper develops a method to include resilience and robustnessarXiv:2003.02131v1 fatcat:gpccvysed5b4pa7vxdmdxtb3uq


A recent study is flying in the face of logic by suggesting that technologies such as smartphones and tablet computers are
not keeping us up at night. Tesearchers at the University of Sidney in Australia compared the average hours of sleep for people between the years 1992 and 2006. After looking over all of the data, it was found that there was no significant change in duration of sleep during that time. Overall, the average hours of sleep hovered around 8 hours and 30 minutes for each sample year. This study disproves an earlier poll that said that Australians are sleeping fewer hours than they were a decade ago. Besides the initial findings, it was also revealed that sleeping fewer hours is associated with higher level of education, higher income, longer work hours, and having 2 or more children in the home.


DESCRIPTION: This was a sub-study of the project “HIV/STD Risk Behaviors in Methamphetamine User Networks”. It sought measure the prevalence anal human papillomavirus (HPV) among HIV-negative MSM who use methamphetamine compared to those who do not use methamphetamine.
OUTCOMES: The supplemental project extends the breadth of research findings in the main study by documenting that the primary drivers of high-risk anal HPV are linked to HIV-infection, MSMW behaviors, and being African American. Use of methamphetamine was not a significant predictor of HPV infection.
Cranston RD, Murphy R, Weiss RE, Da Costa M, Palefsky J, Shoptaw S, Gorbach PM. Anal human papillomavirus infection in a street-based sample of drug using HIV-positive men. Int J STD AIDS. 2012 Mar;23(3):195-200. PMC in progress.


The worldwide online lottery market is expected to experience substantial changes in the coming years as new technologies and trends begin to enter the market. These include big data, which provides contextual insights into consumer behavior and a real-time study of the industry landscape, and the integration of analytics technologies, which offer improved knowledge of performance and income potential. The increase in smartphone and internet usage has also bolstered total lottery sales. This rapidly evolving technology landscape is expected to benefit the worldwide online lottery industry.
Online lottery websites and communities have made it easier for people to play and win the lottery. Online lottery syndicates allow players to join groups and pool their money to increase their chances of winning. These syndicates are usually formed by friends or work colleagues, who agree to pool money and split the prize winnings based on the amount of tickets they purchase. To ensure fair distribution of the winnings, top lottery sites offer reliable features that support lottery syndicates. With these features, lottery players can join groups of other lottery players and securely withdraw their money.
Online lottery sites also use geolocation technology to make sure players are in the state they are playing in. By doing this, online lotteries ensure that their customers are not using spoofing technology to play from out of state. Most sites are compatible with desktop and mobile devices, and they offer access to the most popular lotteries. They also offer a variety of responsible gambling resources, including deposit limits, voluntary self-exclusion programs, and in-state problem gambling help services.
While the online lottery system has not yet reached every state, there are signs that the market is poised for further development. For example, the New Hampshire Lottery sued the Department of Justice for blocking it from selling lottery tickets online, but the federal court ultimately ruled in favor of New Hampshire, making the legal landscape more favorable for states to introduce online lottery tickets. Moreover, many lottery fans enjoy the convenience of buying tickets online. However, some anti-gambling organizations are still opposed to the expansion of online lottery sales.
The PlayHugeLottos platform has been around for years, and is now one of the most popular in the industry. It boasts of a huge player base, including players from 180 countries. This platform offers a variety of lottery games and has many promotions to choose from. It also accepts Bitcoin, which is an added benefit. However, its registration process is a bit lengthy.
Another option for online lottery players is Click & Play. This website offers a variety of scratch card games that pay up to $500. If you win, you can withdraw your winnings by electronic bank transfer or through a physical check in the mail. However, if you win more than $500, you will need to claim your prize in person.


Pressure on healthcare budgets is at an all-time high. Rising input costs alongside funding shortages and changing payment models, are squeezing margins and making it difficult to finance new investments. Therefore optimizing energy infrastructures is now an imperative for healthcare providers.
We have a wealth of experience helping to solve healthcare providers’ challenges, harnessing the power of energy to enable more positive patient outcomes.
35% reduction in energy costs achieved by a leading New Jersey healthcare provider through the installation of a trigeneration system - combined cooling, heat and power. Reducing costs was critical in order to increase revenue for patient care.
Our innovative, flexible solutions include insights and analytics, on-site generation, renewable energy technologies and flexible funding.
With our end-to-end delivery capability and fully-managed service options, we enable you to focus on frontline services.
Reduce energy costs and carbon emissions in facilities where there are combined heat and power requirements
Take advantage of unused real estate to reduce carbon emissions, reduce costs and improve site resilience
Identify operational inefficiencies and risks across your infrastructure, ensuring performance of critical equipment.
Overcome capital expenditure constraints to deploy new, more efficient energy technologies and benefit from certainty over future expenditure
Lower your utility and maintenance costs, provide a healthy learning environment, and reduce carbon emissions with our turnkey energy efficiency solutions.
Reduce dependence on limited, in-house operational resources, and ensure the security and resilience of your ongoing energy supply
The pressures squeezing healthcare providers
Aging populations, more chronic conditions and costly, new treatments are driving increased demand for services. But funding growth is slowing, input costs are spiraling and the move to outcome-based payment models is starting to negatively impact revenue growth. Plus, with limited capital expenditure available for healthcare providers to invest in physical plants, many are dependent on aging and unreliable equipment and infrastructure – putting care quality at significant risk. Staff shortages and skills gaps – including across operational management – and the move to digital healthcare, add to the pressure on existing systems while consuming capital expenditure which might otherwise be invested in physical plants.
What role does energy have to play?
As one of the US’s leading energy suppliers, we have a deep and practical understanding of the healthcare market’s current energy challenges.
Improving facility and energy conservation measures and reducing energy costs, whilst maintaining a robust and reliable energy infrastructure, is essential to releasing funding for frontline services. Ensuring the resilience and compliance of all parts of physical plants is critical for delivering duty of care – to both patients and staff. With margins under pressure, strengthening long-term viability means generating new sources of revenue. At the same time, demonstrating sustainability – to meet targets and strengthen reputation – remains key.
These are all objectives that we can help healthcare providers achieve.
Read how healthcare providers are driving results with distributed energy solutions.
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A pseudo-experimental study was conducted to examine the link between rater accuracy calibration performances and subsequent accuracy during operational scoring. The study asked 45 raters to score a 75-response calibration set and then a 100-response (operational) set of responses from a retired Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) writing prompt that had been vetted to determine correct scores prior to the study. The study found a positive relationship between calibration accuracy and scoring accuracy. Results suggest that a longer calibration test is more reliable and has a stronger correlation with operational scoring exact agreement; however, even tests as short as 10 responses had a reasonable correlation with operational accuracy, and the shorter test classified raters accurately 87% of the time when compared to the 75-response criterion. The additional requirement of no discrepant scores during calibration had better correlation with exact agreement, but much poorer classification accuracy in the shorter tests. This research suggests that calibration is useful for screening raters in its current form, but that further investigation of passing standards and of less controlled operational scoring conditions is required.


Eligibility for the fourth and fifth SEISS grants will be assessed using additional evidence not used for the previous grants. Join the Tax Faculty’s Caroline Miskin for a free webinar to find out more.
There will be winners and losers as the eligibility tests for the fourth and fifth self-employment income support scheme (SEISS) grants will now consider four years of tax return data.
Furthermore, only those who had filed their 2019/20 self assessment return by 2 March 2021 will qualify for these grants.
It is expected that HMRC will contact those eligible for the fourth SEISS grant in mid-April.
The latest SEISS update webinar from the Tax Faculty on 13 April is timed to coincide with this and is free to register.
ICAEW Know-How from the Tax Faculty
This guidance is created by the Tax Faculty, recognised internationally as a leading authority and source of expertise on taxation. The Faculty is the voice of tax for ICAEW, responsible for all submissions to the tax authorities. Join the Faculty for expert guidance and support enabling you to provide the best advice on tax to your clients or business.
Webinar: SEISS grants update
In this webinar Caroline Miskin, from ICAEW's Tax Faculty, navigates the significant changes to the fifth SEISS grant and covers related tax return and compliance issues.


Description BENEFITS OF USING CERAMIDES
What is ceramide? Ceramides not only help your skin retain moisture and fortify its protective barrier, they keep its appearance firmer and plumper, form 50% of the protective layer of oils and waxes that limit skin moisture loss, are essential for optimal barrier function, and should be added in to optimize every daily skincare routine. Because age and sun damage reduce the effectiveness of your skin’s natural ceramides, without any replenishment, you might notice rougher skin, wrinkles, irritation and redness.
Benefits:
This rapid replenishing formula acts as a powerful moisturizer for dry or irritated skin. It encourages a healthy moisture balance so that skin has what it needs for lasting softness, suppleness and hydration. A blend of plant-derived lipids nourishes and deeply hydrates, replacing moisture that is depleted due to age, sun exposure or other environmental aggressors. Elasticity is visibly restored for the appearance of smoother, firmer skin.
Restorative Complex
Replenishing plant lipids combine in a squalane base, to provide total nourishment to dry and dehydrated skin. They absorb weightlessly into the skin for sustained hydration.
Soothing Hydration
Essential moisturizers are selected for their ability to calm and soothe sensitivity and irritation caused by excessive dryness. The replenishing formula nourishes and helps to protect against the effects of oxidative damage.
Unrivaled Efficacy
This formula utilizes each ingredient in its most effective form, selected specifically for its ability to deliver real results.
Key Benefits Hydrates and soothes irritated skin Restores critical moisture balance Replenishes lipids that are lost due to aging, lifestyle and the elements Helps the skin maintain moisture How it Works
This moisturizing complex offers a comprehensive solution for dry, dehydrated and irritated skin. It replenishes the skin’s surface with critical moisture. Plant-derived lipids, which are extracted through a biofermentation technique, deliver instant relief to skin that is lacking moisture. They help to reinforce the skin’s own lipid barrier and restore vital nourishment to combat the effects of age, sun exposure and environmental damage. Squalane is highly compatible with natural sebum and supports the skin’s protective capabilities. Skin appears rejuvenated, vibrant and radiant.
Ingredients: Ceramide and Lipid Complex
A blend of glycoceramides and sphingolipids help to replenish natural lipids that have been depleted due to environmental exposure and intrinsic aging.
Squalane
Squalane mimics the effects of natural sebum. It deeply nourishes and replenishes dry skin and helps to protect against transepidermal water loss.
Direction for Use:
Apply to skin in a thin layer and allow to dry. Apply morning and evening.
Ingredient List:
Cyclopentasiloxane, Cyclotetrasiloxane, Dimethicone, Squalane, Dimethiconol, Ethylhexyl Cocoate, Caprylyl Glycol, Phenyl Trimethicone, Lecithin, Glycosphingolipids. UPC:


The Department of Education (“the Department” or “ED”) uses various social media websites, tools, and applications to engage in dialogue, share information, and collaborate with others. While non-governmental third-parties control and operate many of these sites, some are controlled and operated by ED.
The term “social media,” also referred to as social networking, Web 2.0, or Gov 2.0, describes media designed for dissemination over websites through social interaction, and created using highly accessible and scalable publishing techniques. Social media focuses on the ability of people to collaborate and share information online. It is an enabling platform for Web-based communities of interest, collaboration, and interactive services. Through social media, people or groups can create, organize, edit, comment on, combine, and share content of mutual interest.
Hits: 606


Indonesian Patchouli: The Silent Fragrance Star
Moldy, muddy, damp, and something you would rather connect with a dark window-less basement. Would you expect one of the most popular fragrance ingredients behind this description? The source of this scent looks quite bland. Patchouli – a low-growing leafy green plant, delivers one of the most popular fragrance ingredients. It also comes with a compelling story of how it contributes to your favorite scent. Let’s look at how Indonesian farmers cultivate this fragrance ingredient and how perfumers create lovely scents with it.
Samsir cuts the patchouli plant a few centimeters above the dry earth using a small pair of garden shears. The sun burns hot on the hilly field deep in the jungle, far from any villages in the Sulawesi region of Indonesia. One can access the area only by steep, bumpy roads, making an all-terrain vehicle essential. The 47-year-old cultivates three hectares of patchouli and lays the snipped plants out to dry on tarps. Then, a short while later, he cuts the plants he grew earlier into ten-centimeter pieces using a long knife that he fashioned out of a sharpened piece of metal taken from a car. This process ensures that more valuable oil remains inside the plants if cut after dried. The farmer then carries the tightly stuffed sacks to a crude field distillation unit located on the pothole-littered road some 200 meters away. An employee has lit a fire under the large container, and the water is already boiling. “Once it begins to steam, we fill the still with dried patchouli herbage,” says Samir, explaining the process. Within seconds, the air fills with the intense fragrance of the perfume oil, carried by the steam. It cools slowly inside a pipe while the oil separates from the water flowing into a pail. The farmer can extract around 0.6 kilograms from 30 kilograms of dried herbage. One of more than 500,000 farmers, Samsir cultivates patchouli alongside corn, soy, cocoa, cashews, and coconuts. The plant forms an integral part of their livelihood. Even if many generate no more than four or five liters of the precious oil per week. It accounts for a significant income due to its high value. A Long-Standing History
For many scent-enthusiasts, the story above often remains hidden. So often, we, as consumers, know little about the products we use and how they come into our lives.
Patchouli occupies an iconic position in the perfume industry. The emblematic aroma –often described
as intense, spicy, earthy (used widely in chypre and oriental fragrances) adds depth and sensuality. Finding its way into nearly all aromatic products, from fine fragrances to shower gels and detergents, the precious oil ranks in the top 10 natural raw materials for fragrances.
Patchouli entered a more mainstream awareness during the ’60s counter-culture movement, where the extract appealed as a natural deodorant, strong enough to mask the smell of alcohol and marijuana.
At the same time, the ingredient holds a long-standing history as a trending ingredient in men’s and women’s fragrances. For example, the classic Monsieur Givenchy, created in 1959, acts as the first widely distributed fragrance for men by Givenchy and a new vision of masculinity. For women, how can we forget the iconic Aromatics Elixir by Clinique? As the oldest perfume from the house of Clinique, circa 1975, the notes comprise verbena, sage, chamomile, and patchouli as the base. After its Reintroduction in 2007, the current bottle features a retro atomizer, adding the perfect nostalgic flair.
And today, we can find patchouli everywhere, from Tom Ford White Patchouli, Maison Margiela Music Festival, to Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia. This adds to the reasons why to note the ingredient’s history and current consumption.
A Sustainable Future?
Often produced in remote locations in Indonesia, farmers still lack the proper techniques to cultivate this crop safely. While Symrise partners with local suppliers to bring sustainable practices to the area, consumers and companies need to learn more about this desirable ingredient. For example, new practices promote sustainable farming on Sulawesi Island in Indonesia (where 80% of patchouli remains harvested). In addition, by funding energy-efficient distillation units, carbon emissions decrease, and forests stay protected.
Additionally, the operators of the energy-efficient distillation units provide technical support, along with the farmers, who now own the skills to farm in a more environmentally friendly way. While nearly all of the world’s patchouli comes from one area, there remains a bright spot – more opportunities to enhance relationships with producers to cultivate patchouli more efficiently and safely. Patchouli denotes the scent of the moment. So what products do you want to see patchouli make its way into next?


Launched in Dhaka, Bangladesh, in 2015, Praava Health ('Praava') delivered high-quality in-clinic primary and specialist care, backed by its own high quality diagnostic laboratories, imaging and pharmacy. Praava was founder Sylvana Sinha's response to what she saw as a broken healthcare system in one of the world's most populous countries, unable to provide efficient, reliable medical attention to the majority of its population. Centered on the patient, it had a flagship state-of-the art medical center in Dhaka, and digital channels, including Bangladesh's first patient app, telemedicine, and e-pharmacy. Behind all this was a highly qualified medical, technical and management team, made possible by equity investments of $11.1 million. But raising funds had been a difficult and arduous process, even as Praava's revenues were growing at around 20% a month. As Sinha proceeded to plan her next steps in Series B fundraising, she wondered if there were modifications that she needed to consider. Were there any changes --- in the Praava business model, in the financing structure or in her messaging --- that would allow her to break through in the capital markets?


Gill, Sukhpal and Tuli, Shreshth and Xu, Minxian and Singh, Inderpreet and Singh, Karan and Lindsay, Dominic and Tuli, Shikhar and Smirnova, Daria and Singh, Manmeet and Jain, Udit and Pervaiz, Haris and Sehgal, Bhanu and Kaila, Sukhwinder Singh and Misra, Sanjay and Aslanpour, Mohammad Sadegh and Mehta, Harshit and Stankovski, Vlado and Garraghan, Peter (2019)
Transformative Effects of IoT, Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence on Cloud Computing:Evolution, Vision, Trends and Open Challenges. Internet of Things, 8. ISSN 2542-6605
Tranformative_IoT.pdf - Accepted Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives.
Download (762kB)
Abstract
Cloud computing plays a critical role in modern society and enables a range of applications from infrastructure to social media. Such system must cope with varying load and evolving usage reflecting societies’ interaction and dependency on automated computing systems whilst satisfying Quality of Service (QoS) guarantees. Enabling these systems are a cohort of conceptual technologies, synthesized to meet demand of evolving computing applications. In order to understand current and future challenges of such system, there is a need to identify key technologies enabling future applications. In this study, we aim to explore how three emerging paradigms (Blockchain, IoT and Artificial Intelligence) will influence future cloud computing systems. Further, we identify several technologies driving these paradigms and invite international experts to discuss the current status and future directions of cloud computing. Finally, we proposed a conceptual model for cloud futurology to explore the influence of emerging paradigms and technologies on evolution of cloud computing.


Impact Moving on from being rivals in a zero-sum game to becoming collaborators in a common future. In a nutshell
True impact requires more than adjusting our habits and processes. We need to look at the fundamental premises of our decisions and sense of being in the world. What is the impact we really want to create with our organisations? What impact do we want to create with our life?
Why is it important? Moving rapidly toward more collaboration and overcoming the game theoretical obstacles that prevent us from working for the common good reduces the existential risk we are facing as species. Yes, it’s that important. What will you learn? You will understand that positive impact is a question of consciousness & mindset first, process second You will understand that this is not about hugging trees, but about reaching the next civilisational level You will view the role that your professional engagement plays in a radically different way You might wonder how we could have become so confused about our goals in the first place Grow wiser
Join my monthly newsletter to receive some food for thought to help sharpening your perspective on what is relevant and what less so – both, in your professional and personal life. Develop your personal wisdom, so collectively we grow wiser.
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Over the course of the semester, I have grown tremendously as a researcher. I learned that judgment, communication, organization, and persistence are all important skills to have while conducting scientific research. Research has also helped me improve my problem-solving skills and challenge myself. Moreover, I have learned to be patient and flexible when coming across challenges in my research. This semester, I had the opportunity to learn various new computational, molecular, and biochemical lab techniques that helped me assess the impact of the 12 disease-associated-mutations identified in potassium chloride co-transporter 2 (KCC2). These mutations cause disorders such as schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and epilepsy. I conducted cycloheximide chase assays with the some of the predicted deleterious mutations to quantify the stability of these proteins compared to normal, “wild-type protein” in human embryonic kidney cells (HEK293). Throughout this process I also had the opportunity to conceptualize the objective of each new mutation analyzed and relied on the advice and guidance I received from my mentor Morgan Kok, as well as my principal investigator Dr. Jeffrey Brodsky. I also became familiar with computational tools such as ImageJ and Prism 8, which helped me realize how important statistical analysis is in addition to experimentation in research. These tools assisted us in examining the results on a larger scale for the research questions we were testing. While conducting research in the Brodsky lab I learned that collaboration is an important skill as an undergraduate researcher makes the jump from gaining knowledge from other’s discoveries to making discoveries on their own. Overall, research has taught me how difficult it can be at times to investigate the unknown. However, the rigorous process of self-correction in scientific research can lead to discoveries that are fascinating and rewarding.
Additionally, my CURF experience has emphasized the importance of sharing my research progress to a knowledgeable community. This fellowship has given me the opportunity to effectively demonstrate my findings and express myself in a concise way to more than just the science community. Moreover, by reading other peer’s blog posts of their research I have gained new insights and perspectives of the different types of research that are conducted at the university. I am extremely grateful for the experience that I have gained from CURF, as it has enhanced not only my research skills but also allowed for personal growth in the scientific field.
In thinking about how I can build on this experience, in the future, I plan to continue investigating KCC2 and the effect of the disease-associated-mutations on the protein. I will continue to conduct cycloheximide chase assays and western blots to further assess the stability of these mutated proteins compared to wild type. Moreover, I will also use fluorescence microscopy to observe protein localization and the potential aggregation of the mutation proteins in the cell, an event that leads to accumulation of misfolded non-functional proteins, which can result in disease. The goal of gaining additional experience in exploring KCC2 defects is that it will help us better understand how to treat people with specific mutations in this protein that are linked to schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, and epilepsy. This would help millions of people that suffer from these diseases and provide insight into the complex cellular processes that are causing them to occur.


Notice:Users may be experiencing issues with displaying some pages on stanfordhealthcare.org. We are working closely with our technical teams to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. Thank you for your patience. HUMAN PATHOLOGYLim, M., Guccione, S., Haddix, T., Sims, L., Cheshier, S., Chu, P., Vogel, H., Harsh, G. 2005; 36 (6): 665-669 Abstract
alpha(v)beta(3) Is an integrin specifically expressed in endothelial cells of newly forming blood vessels. Integrin-mediated angiogenesis is hypothesized to play a central role in the development and the progression of central nervous system neoplasms. Accordingly, it is considered a potential target for antiangiogenic therapy. In the current study, we compare the expression of alpha(v)beta(3) in ependymomas, oligodendrogliomas, pilocytic astrocytomas, medulloblastomas, and vestibular schwannomas (acoustic neuromas). Samples of 5 tumors of each of the 5 tumor types were harvested surgically and frozen. After the pathological diagnosis was confirmed, immunohistochemistry was performed using an anti- alpha(v)beta(3) monoclonal antibody (LM609). The expression of alpha(v)beta(3) was assessed using a 4-tiered (0-3) grading scheme reflecting the percentage of positively staining vessels. All vestibular schwannomas demonstrated strong (grade 3) alpha(v)beta(3) expression. The expression was uniformly prominent in Antoni B regions of the tumors. Of 5 ependymomas, 4 demonstrated uniformly strong alpha(v)beta(3). Oligodendrogliomas, medulloblastomas, and pilocytic astrocytomas demonstrated more variable alpha(v)beta(3). alpha(v)beta(3) may contribute significantly to angiogenesis in vestibular schwannomas and ependymomas. Despite the high vascular density of oligodendrogliomas, pilocytic astrocytomas, and medulloblastomas, these tumors had variable moderate alpha(v)beta(3) expression. This discrepancy suggests temporal and/or regional variability in the angiogenesis in these types of tumor. This study provides the first demonstration of alpha(v)beta(3) expression in vestibular schwannomas, medulloblastomas, and pilocytic astrocytomas.
View details for DOI 10.1016/j.humpath.2005.03.014
View details for PubMedID 16021573


Last month, fourteen members of Congress (seven Democrats and seven Republicans) wrote a joint letter to Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator, Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, urging that CMS increase reimbursement for coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) under the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS). CCTA is a diagnostic test that produces cross-sectional 3D images of the arteries in the heart to allow radiologists and cardiologists to detect abnormalities in blood flow and to diagnose cardiovascular disease. CCTA also produces clinically important axial images of the chest, lungs and mediastinum.
These members of Congress recommend that CCTA payments can be boosted by reassigning the CPT codes used to bill for CCTA services to ambulatory payment classifications (APCs) that "more appropriately reflect the clinical intensity, resource utilization and cost of these services."
Recently, California Democrat, U.S. Representative Ted W. Lieu had the personal experience where a CCTA study alerted his care team to the advisability of stent surgery. He and his Congressional colleagues noted to Administrator Brooks-LaSure that the following report language was included in the 2023 Labor-HHS Appropriations Bill: "Cardiac Computed Tomography (CT) - The committee notes that unstable and low reimbursement for cardiac CT services is contributing to significant disparity in access to this vital service among minority populations. Within 90 days of enactment, CMS shall report to the committee on what actions are being taken by the agency to address the inequity."
The representatives stated their hope that this language will further encourage CMS to focus on the adequacy of CCTA reimbursement and to further examine the health disparities among Medicare beneficiaries resulting from lack of access to cardiac CT – which they called "the preferred and guideline-directed imaging modality for patients with suspected coronary artery disease (CAD)."
They argued that CCTA can help address inequities in cardiac care for communities of color where CAD is 33% higher for Black individuals compared to the overall population and that Native Americans have a nearly 20% higher cardiovascular mortality rate compared to white individuals.
While this letter focuses on the non-physician components of CCTA studies, it would be prudent to also assure the adequacy of the professional component for these studies as well. My experience is that only one physician (either cardiologist or radiologist) can bill for the CCTA interpretation. But it is often necessary, however, for them to share the performance of the interpretation of these studies..


Following a 3 week inquest at Preston Coroner’s Court the jury have returned the rare and serious conclusion that
“there were several significant factors that contributed to the death of AJ. These factors combined to a gross failure by neglect that led to [the death]…his death could have been prevented at this time”
The deceased died in HMP Garth as a result of death by hanging. Due to incidents of violent bullying, he had been placed on a specialist wing (‘the RSU’) 12 months prior to his death. He was monitored under the ACCT system. Two days prior to his death, he missed his morning medication and was deselected from his wing and moved back to the main wing. He was placed in his cell as a segregated “Rule 53” prisoner without any attempt to follow the correct procedures, including a mental health assessment.
He was left in his cell for 34 hours without access to a shower, vital medication (including quetiapine, an anti-psychotic and tramadol) and any distraction materials.
The jury returned a conclusion of suicide with a narrative of gross neglect which stated:
There were several significant factors that contributed to the death of AJ. “These factors combined attributed to a gross failure by neglect that lead to AJ’s death and if these factors were addressed his death could have been prevented.” The Senior Officer on the RSU wing who completed the ACCT post-closure on the day AJ was transferred missed an opportunity to re-evaluate the risks. There was a failure to refer AJ to a Population Management Meeting for a multi-disciplinary discussion for de-selection. This was a significant factor contributing to his death. This omission meant that there was a failure to open an ACCT document when transferred. This would have afforded him the protection of a risk assessment. Prior to AJ’s transfer, there was no risk assessment taken by either the transferring wing or the receiving wing. This was a “gross failure” by the custody manager, who left the transfer down to a senior officer who was unfamiliar with the wing and its processes. There was no reason to keep AJ segregated, “prolonged confinement in his cell was detrimental to his mental health and contributed to his death”.No safety algorithm was completed. Healthcare had not noticed that AJ had missed three separate medications over a 48 hour period. This medication was vital to AJ’s wellbeing.
The matter has been referred to the Home Office as a result of the findings.


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Explosive Decompression Resistant Permeation of a gas into an elastomer under high pressure may not result in any long term effect provided the pressure is released gradually, allowing the gas to permeate out of the elastomer. However, if the pressure is released rapidly, the pressurised gas can expand explosively, rupturing the elastomer in a catastrophic manner. We offer a number of materials which have been formulated to be resistant to explosive decompression including Aflas®, FKM and HNBR. We work with a laboratory which posses one of the most advanced explosive decompression testing units in Europe. Capable of testing seals of various geometries up to 10,000 psi, under varying compression, over any desired cycle/time within a temperature range from subzero up to +250°C. With pressure, temperature and pressure release cycles simulating actual field operation, independent testing can be carried out to confirm the performance of seal types and grades before installation. Gas Specification Materials Materials formulated in accordance with British Standard BS2494 (type ‘G’) are suitable for gas applications in the United Kingdom. The British Gas Specification BGC/PS/LC6 sets out the physical properties and quality requirements for seals and gaskets used in gas applications. We offer a range of nitrile (NBR) grades which are formulated in accordance with this specification.


KKP Ministry & ASEAN Cooperate in Developing Fisheries Refugia
Indonesia's Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) Ministry is cooperating with ASEAN countries to develop fisheries refugia, which are fishery breeding and nursery areas in which specific management measures are applied to maintain sustainable fisheries stocks. Head of the Fisheries Research Center of the ministry's Fisheries and Marine Research and Human Resources Agency (BRSDM), Yayan Hikmayani, noted in a statement here on Saturday that Indonesia had determined two locations for the development of fisheries refugia.
"The locations are in West Kalimantan Province for penaeid shrimp and in Bangka Belitung Province for squid," she revealed.
The development of fisheries refugia in Indonesia aligns with the measured fishing policy issued by KKP Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono. Hikmayani noted that similar to the Fisheries Management Area (WPP) implemented by the ministry, fishery refugia also focused on maintaining the habitat used by fish during the breeding and nursery phases.
Hikmayani stated that Indonesia had reported the development of the implementation of fisheries refugia in its region at the 6th Regional Scientific and Technical Committee (RSTC) Meeting on Establishment and Operation of a Regional System of Fisheries Refugia in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand held in Samut Prakan, Thailand, on July 4-6, 2022. An officer from the Research Center for Fish Resource Recovery (BRPSDI) of the BRSDM, Astri Suryandari, noted that the fisheries refugia had been based on a region-based approach to fisheries management. It aims to maintain the habitat of fish resources and mitigate the impacts of fishing activities on fish stocks in the area during important phases of their life cycle that can determine the sustainability of fish stocks, she stated.
"A fisheries refugia is not an area that cannot be utilized or become a 'no-take zone'. It is an area that should be managed sustainably and be closed at certain times to ensure the survival of certain species," Suryandari, who concurrently serves as the Alternate Scientific and Technical Focal Point of the Fisheries Refugia Project in Indonesia, stated.
The Fisheries Refugia Project was initiated by the Southeast Asian Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC), a regional fisheries organization comprising all ASEAN countries plus Japan. The project, among others, focuses on capacity building and human resource development in the fisheries sector, financially supported by United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) and Global Environment Facility (GEF). Since 2019, Indonesia has been one of the countries selected to implement the pilot project for fisheries refugia along with five other ASEAN countries: Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam.


SolarWinds Orion Vulnerability (CVE-2020-10148) Explained Summary:
During the SolarWinds hack (
CVE-2020-10148), thousands of organizations, including the U.S. government, were affected, not only because a single company was breached but because it triggered a broader supply chain incident. There was a supply chain breach involving the SolarWinds Orion system, commonly called the SolarWinds hack. The Orion network management system is used by more than 30,000 public and private organizations, including local, state, and federal government agencies. SolarWinds delivered the backdoor malware as part of an update for the Orion software, which compromised thousands of data, networks, and systems.
According to FireEye, over 16 known CVEs were exploited to test and validate the security postures of client environments on December 8, 2020. According to FireEye, the theft was made possible through a malicious version of SolarWinds Orion software. The Department of Homeland Security has enacted an emergency directive requesting all federal agencies take immediate action to mitigate the impacts of the stolen FireEye Red Team tools and SolarWinds Orion applications. Additionally, they strongly recommend that commercial organizations follow the same guidelines.
As a result of two vulnerabilities, known as SUNBURST and SUPERNOVA, SolarWinds Orion was initially compromised.
SUNBURST: SolarWinds supply chain attack is primarily based on the SUNBURST vulnerability. This vulnerability affects SolarWinds Orion Platform versions 2019.4 HF 5, 2020.2 unpatched, and 2020.2 HF 1. Attackers can compromise the Orion Platform server when the vulnerability is active. SUPERNOVA: The SUPERNOVA malware was not distributed through the SolarWinds build process as a supply chain attack, but through a vulnerability in the Orion product. How it works?
The hackers used a supply chain attack to insert malicious code into the Orion system. As opposed to directly hacking an organization’s network, a supply chain attack targets a third party who has access to its systems. By using third-party software, such as SolarWinds Orion Platform, hackers can gain access and impersonate users and accounts of victim organizations. Antivirus software could not detect the malware since it could access system files and blend in with legitimate SolarWinds activity. As a result of this type of supply chain attack, SolarWinds was an ideal target. Having installed the malicious code into a new batch of software distributed by SolarWinds as an update or patch, the hackers could gain access to many multinational companies and government agencies that use their Orion software.
The following is a timeline illustrating the original SolarWinds Orion hack, FireEye’s discovery of the hacker activity, SolarWinds’ response to the attack, and the U.S. government’s response:
1. A breach of SolarWinds’ network occurred on September 1, 2019.
2. Threat actors tested the first code injection into Orion in October 2019
3. The Sunburst malware was injected into Orion on February 20, 2020.
4. A malicious update was sent out unknowingly by SolarWinds Orion on March 26, 2020
A vulnerability in SolarWinds Orion (with Web Console WPM 2019.4.1 and Orion Platform HF4 or HF2 2019.4) allows remote attackers to gain access to the victim’s entire network infrastructure by activating a defined event, which is triggered when a user downloads a compromised update.
As a result, the malware communicates back to the attackers via legitimate domains previously purchased by the attackers and have been lying dormant. As a result, the attackers can evade defenses designed to detect suspicious traffic. Once SUNBURST is installed, it can transfer and execute files, profile the system, reboot the machine, and disable system services. Backdoors masquerade as the Orion Improvement Program (OIP) protocol and steal the information in legitimate plugin configuration files.
Impact:
The primary concern is that attackers have continued access to your network. The SolarWinds attack effectively allowed attackers to move freely throughout the compromised network, allowing them to commit malicious acts. In the event of a SolarWinds breach, a hacker can install a backdoor, granting them continued access to your systems. Due to unauthorized access to networks that likely held sensitive information, the confidentiality of sensitive data is already compromised. In addition to the loss of personal data and future access to your systems, the severity of this attack will spur a significant revision to federal cybersecurity policy that will impact all levels of business.
The implications of this are evident, but the full extent of the attack remains unknown. It may take several months for impacted companies to uncover the full extent of the attack. This is because they are conducting comprehensive investigations to uncover what data and systems were compromised. It is clear from the level of sophistication demonstrated and the evidence uncovered that the attacker was a foreign nation-state.
SolarWinds attack on US national infrastructure has highlighted the urgent need to address gaps in US cybersecurity. It will result in sweeping federal regulations to ensure companies and agencies do their utmost to protect against future attacks. US tech companies will be burdened with a substantial amount of time and money, which will be passed on to smaller companies and consumers.
Mitigation:
SolarWinds Orion vulnerabilities, SUNBURN Trojan detections, and FireEye Red Team tools require organizations to quickly assess the state of these vulnerabilities and missing patches across all their assets.
All above vulnerabilities should be immediately patched across all affected assets. Turn off SolarWinds Orion products, versions 2019.4 through 2020.2.1 HF1, until the patch has been applied. To reduce the impact, apply security hygiene controls to the impacted software and operating system. Check for the existence of the following files:
i) [SolarWinds.Orion.Core.BusinessLayer.dll] with a file hash of [b91ce2fa41029f6955bff20079468448]
ii) [C:\WINDOWS\SysWOW64\netsetupsvc.dll]
It is essential to remove these indicators of compromise and the parent processes involved in their creation. Limit the scope of connectivity to SolarWinds servers until further investigation has been completed. Additional Recommendations
1) Systems that have been affected should be reimagined and rebuilt
2) Bringing all SolarWinds-managed network infrastructure up to date with previous known good versions of firmware
3) User credentials, SNMP, SSH keys, certificates, and SNMP keys are reset across the enterprise, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) is enforced
4) All affected systems will be configured in a hardened manner
5) Make sure your environment is secure by changing your passwords.
How to Defend Your Network from Zero-Day Vulnerabilities
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